Hey guys, here is another little one shot. I was board and I really liked writing my other one (it's an infernal devices one and you should go check it out) so I thought 'what the heck'. Please favorite and review and hopefully I will be seeing you guys later on my favorites list for this story.

if you like this one, and have any suggestions for books to do stories like this (snippets) let me know.

Enjoy

Leo knew he had a tendency to fall in love, or at least develop crushes quite frequently. It wasn't his fault, he just had some sort of a problem. He would meet a girl, develop a crush, and get rejected, repeat. It was the circle of life. Better yet, it was the cycle of Leo, yeah, that's what it is.

Where all romantic stories start, this one started in preschool, in the sandbox. In preschool, as one might imagine, Leo was quite amazing with the ladies.

On a morning in August, or maybe it was September, somewhere in there, anyway, there was this new girl in his class. Leo had been struggling through yet another intense name writing class when a new blonde shows up at the teacher's desk with an adult. It was love at first sight with this girl. She had a nice pair of pigtails flowing down her back, she was wearing a red shirt, which was his favorite color, a juice pouch (Leo guessed mixed berry because she seemed like 'that kind of girl'), and the most important thing that got Leo was of course the light up sketchers. You had to love a girl who wore light up sketchers and made them work.

Leo got pulled out of his state of admiration when the teacher said, "Boys and girls I have exciting news today! We have a new student all the way from California. Her name is Shyanne and she is four, just like the rest of you. I expect everyone to be nice and welcome her."

That wouldn't really be a problem considering when you are the new kid, you are the coolest kid in the class. All those stereotypes about the new kid having a hard time is completely not true, everyone wanted to be you're friend, including Leo, who needed to strike before anyone and everyone else did. Was it possible to call dibs in preschool?

Mrs. Lisa put her hands on Shyanne's shoulders and half pushed, half guided her way to a seat on the opposite side of the room from Leo. For some reason, Leo was pinned as the 'bad kid' only because of the first day of school, he took apart the television. It wasn't really a big deal considering his mom put it back together during the parent teacher conference that followed that school day. But ever since, every time there was a new student, they were as far away from him as possible, which was completely unfair. Leo was a fun guy. He liked to socialize. He liked to get down and funky.

"Today, we are working on writing our name." Mrs. Lisa said to Shyanne in her baby voice. Leo never understood why she always talked like that, like how old did she think they were, three? Show some respect. "Do you know how to write your name?"

Shyanne smiled and nodded quickly almost like she was quite proud of her ability to write her name.

"Very good."

For about the next 10 minutes all of the children sat and wrote there name at different levels of accuracy, but it felt an eternity to Leo. He couldn't get comfortable in the small, plastic red chairs that were provided for them. He didn't understand why they didn't get the fancy stuff, for Leo was all kinds of awesome and deserved expensive.

"Alright class. It is time for a break, since it is nice and sunny outside, we will go to the playground. Would you all like that?"

Her question was met with an overwhelming positive response. Kids were shouting and wag their hands around like the wild animals she saw us as.

So of course, immediately after she said that everybody rushed to line up at the door. Push, pull, jostle, really kids do anything to be first in line so they could be the first on the playground. Your ultimate life goal is to be the person that sits on top of the monkey bars. Don't exactly know why it is like that, but you just know it. Leo was usually one of the first, if not the first, and today was no exception, he was first. The teacher walked to the front by the door, turned off the light which always get everybody quiet and listening to the teacher, and held up her hand which allows everyone in the back to see her. It was just like the ultimate sign of the 'line leader'.

When they got to the playground and she opened the gate, and it was a free for all. Everyone was sprinting to the monkey bars, as was he, but today he noticed that the new girl was lagging behind, obviously confused at everybody being ridiculous, so he decided this was his chance to be alone with her. He followed her over to the sand box and plopped down next to her.

"Hi, I am Leo." He says as he wave and walk over to her.

She looked up from admiring her shoes. "Hi, I am Shyanne."

Now was his chance, "You want to be my girlfriend?"

She shrugged, "Sorry, Bobby already asked me."

She got up and walked away.

He never forgot those sneakers.

In sixth grade, Leo was moved to yet another foster home. He was kicked out of the last one because a mysterious fire happened and he was the only one at home at the time. He was then, of course, blamed for everything and consequently sent to someone else to try their hand at 'turning him into a young man.'

He didn't do it and stood by his innocence, but when has that ever mattered to anybody.

The new foster parents seemed like all the others. They were 'so' excited to have a new kid, but the first sight of something going wrong, bam, off to another. It was just part of life.

The family already had two kids there, a girl and a boy, and they seemed to by about his age. What made Leo excited about this particular foster house was that the girl, Miranda was her name, was Spanish, like him. Which is why he felt an instant connection.

But she didn't feel the same way.

Every time he tried to talk to her, she just blew him off. She was definitely just not interested. He usually at least got to talk to the girl before he was rejected or turned down or whatever.

Why did she have to be so difficult?

But in less than a month, she got expelled and was shipped off to another foster parent. He didn't know where they sent her, and he never saw her again.

At least she didn't let it get far enough to break his heart. That's a first.

In ninth grade, there was a girl named Roselyne and she was the most popular girl at his school. She had curly brown hair and blazing blue eyes. An extraordinary girl. She was a popular girl that didn't put non popular people down. She was nice to everybody and she really was a great person.

He had probably had a crush on her since he started going to this school two months ago. Since then, she has said a total of nine words to him. "Can I have a napkin," was one when she spilled a little spaghetti sauce on her pants and she happen to pass him on the way to the bathroom, and she has said "excuse me" in the hallways twice because they can get very crowded with the small hallways and the large amount of students.

When the time came around for the freshmen dance, Leo knew he had to ask her to it, If he didn't, it would be one of those 'what if' moment that haunts him for the rest of his life. Leo tried to live his life with no regrets, so when the time came for all the handmade signs went up around all the empty walls around the school campus, he made his move.

He had everything planned out in his head, he would catch her after the bell rang at her locker before she went to cheerleading practice and ask her there. Hopefully she doesn't already have a date, but she just broke up with her boyfriend, so he had a slight chance.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRINGGGGGGGGG

When the bell blared, Leo quickly stood up and rushed out of the door. He quickly walked to the other side of the school, pushing some people out of the way, getting pushed by others out of the way.

The hallways had started to die down as her locker loomed into view. She was standing there, putting he books into the locker, just like normal.

He took a deep breath, walked up to her didn't wait for her to look at him or respond, he just started talking and said kind of in a rushed voice, "Will you go to the dance with me?"

She took her eyes off of her backpack and looked at him with a confused expression on her face, "Sorry, I didn't hear you?" She seemed genuine, so that was a plus for Leo.

He slowed it down this time growing a little bit of confidence, "Will you go to the dance with me?"

She was expressionless for a moment, before doing something very strange. She burst out laughing.

She was sort of laugh talking when she said, "Ohhh, that was a good one Jose."

She shut her locker and left.

Maybe she wasn't as nice as he thought.

And it finally happened. He fell in love, and it was for real this time.

Calypso was everything he never thought would go for yet, here he was, crashing down into her island and prison to save her. He can't help but think back to the first time this happened, except he was now coming here on purpose, rather than just trying to not become Leo soup in the ocean. As the ground gets closer and closer, he feels his heart start to speed up. Not because of the adrenaline pulsing through his veins from the obvious, but because of seeing her. What if she found another hero? He knew he didn't measure up to heroes like Percy and Jason and all the other heroes that washed up on her island. She was an amazing person who deserved more than him, but here he was, about to save her.

Then it came.

BANG

He crashed into the beach.

Everything was dizzy and colors were running together, but he was able to make out a distinct outline of a girl with golden hair. "Took you awhile."

He smiled, "I could just leave if you want me to?" Things were coming into focus.

She rolled her eyes and got down on her knees next to where Leo was on the ground. "You know you don't want to leave as much as I want you here." She grabbed his collar and pulled him into a kiss.

After a moment she pulled away. Leo let out a little whine, but she quieted him by saying, "There will be plenty of time for that. I want adventure right now."

Leo stood up and bowed and said in a heavy Spanish accent, "Yes ma lady." And pointed towards Festus.

They both boarded up on Festus and took off.

Once they hit the air, Leo looked back to her to see a mesmerized look on her face. It had been so long since she has been off the island. Seeing something as simple as the ocean that represents the freedom that was taken away from her. The big waves crashing into each other like the free spirit she can now be.

"So what now?" Leo asked, pulling her from her trance.

"I don't know, I just want to see the world." She said, but then added, "With you."

Leo thought for a moment for where to take her. Where would the perfect place be to take her? London? Paris? Tokyo? New York? Then it hit him and he smirked, "I know the perfect place."

Her face contorted to a curious look. "Where?"

He looked back to the front, "You'll see."

A few hours later, they arrived at the place Leo hadn't been to in so long, but never left his thoughts. He couldn't quiet tell if he was excited or nervous about seeing this place, but it will always hold a special place in his heart. He got off of Festus and looked around to take it all in. it looked exactly the same as when he left it those so many years ago.

"So where are we?"

He didn't look around to her, he just stared at the empty grass lot, surrounded by trees. "This is where I grew up."

When she didn't say anything, he turned around to see a little glimmer in her eye, "Why did you take me here?"

He probably could have made a joke right about now, but it felt like one of those rare moments that are meant to be taken serious. "I thought you might want to know a little more about me. I haven't been here since I was eight."

"Why? What happened?"

He hesitated, trying to choose his words, "There was a fire and it burned down our house and workshop. My mom ended up dying in the fire and I was shipped off to foster care." He didn't know this would affect him this much.

She walked over and hugged him, and he immediately felt closer to her than he had been with anybody else, other than his mom.

"Was it worth it?" He always asked himself this question all the time, but he had never had the nerve to ask out loud to her.

She turned around in their bed and looked him the eye, "What do you mean?"

Leo thought back to everything that has happened to the two of them the past ten years, between traveling the world, going back to Leo's friends and revealing they Leo was in fact not dead, to getting married, to eventually having two kids of their own. Life has just flown by, yet that question has always gone through his mind.

"Giving up immorality, leaving your island, staying with me?"

She smiled, "I will never have a day in my life when I miss that. I have everything I ever wanted with you and life can't get better than it is right now. I love you. And I will forevermore love you. And I just thank you for falling out of the sky and crash landing on my island and ignoring my bad attitude towards you so I can now have this. You and me and our happy family. Of course I was worth it."

Then he realized something right then and there.

He broke it.

He broke the cycle of Leo.

Quote:

"Leo hoped he wasn't blushing. Truthfully, he had no idea how he felt about Hazel. She was awesome and cute, and Leo had a weakness for awesome and cute girls. But the flashback had complicated things A LOT." - Leo Valdez